Filippo Grandi, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations'
Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees, will be
giving a talk at Coventry University on Wednesday 4 May.
Mr Grandi, an Italian national born in 1957, has been engaged in
refugee and humanitarian work for the past 26 years, 22 of which
have been with the United Nations.
In his talk, the Commissioner-General will give an insight into
the plight of the millions of Palestinian refugees in today's
Middle East, and the ways in which the UNRWA helps make a
difference to their lives.
Prior to joining UNRWA, Mr Grandi distinguished himself in a
variety of headquarters and field functions encompassing refugee
assistance, protection, emergency management donor relations and
humanitarian and political affairs.
He has led emergency operations in Afghanistan, Yemen, Benin,
Burundi, the Great Lakes of Central Africa and Liberia, and was
heavily involved with the humanitarian response in Syria, Turkey
and Iraq during and after the Gulf War.
On 20 January 2010, after having served as UNRWA's Deputy
Commissioner-General since October 2005, he was appointed
Commissioner-General.
In his inaugural letter to UNRWA staff, Grandi observed that
"...the post of Commissioner-General is not a personal honour
bestowed on one individual, but a mission to be carried out with
and for Palestine refugees".
Professor Alpaslan Özerdem, Chair in Peacebuilding at the
Centre for Peace and Reconciliation Studies (CPRS) at Coventry
University, said:
"To be hosting the UNRWA's Commissioner-General as our speaker
is a great privilege and opportunity for the Centre for Peace and
Reconciliation Studies at Coventry University, particularly in the
current context of political transformation in the Middle East and
North Africa.
"It remains to be seen what the impact of this storm of change
will be on Palestinians, but Mr Grandi will enable us to have a
better understanding of this critical issue through his first-hand
experiences."
Mr Grandi will be speaking on Wednesday 4 May at 6pm in the
Goldstein Lecture Theatre in the Alan Berry Building, opposite the
steps of the cathedral.
Anyone is welcome and the event is free to attend, but places
must be booked in advance by visiting www.coventry.ac.uk/peacestudy